A controversial film about an African warlord and his army has spread to the far corners of the internet , racking up more than 70 million YouTube views and prompting a heated debate about the filmmakers and the effectiveness of their advocacy .

While its supporters say `` KONY 2012 '' has raised much-needed awareness about Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony , critics say the film is inaccurate , oversimplified , and distracting from more effective charity work in Uganda .

Questions have also been raised about the intentions and transparency of Invisible Children , the group behind the film , and its founders say they are releasing a new film to respond to the criticism .

What is `` KONY 2012 '' ?

`` KONY 2012 '' is a half-hour video campaign about Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony , the leader of the rebel Lord 's Resistance Army , and alleged atrocities his army has committed since the 1980s , including the killing and disfiguring of villagers , forcing children to become soldiers , and forcing girls into sexual slavery .

The film features a former Ugandan child soldier and highlights the plight of children there , contrasting their lives with the director 's own young child in America and pushing the notion that the Western world can stop Kony 's reign of terror . Its makers say the film `` aims to make Joseph Kony famous , not to celebrate him , but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice . ''

Who made `` KONY 2012 '' ?

The film was produced by Invisible Children , a San Diego-based nonprofit activist group founded by three filmmakers whose goal is to raise awareness about Kony 's LRA and stop what it calls the longest-running armed conflict in Africa .

The group also made a film in 2005 about the LRA called `` Invisible Children : Rough Cut , '' and has put pressure on both the George W. Bush and Obama administrations to take a side in the fight between the LRA and the Ugandan government , according to a 2011 story in Foreign Affairs .

The group says it has built schools in Uganda and operates a high-frequency radio station that broadcasts anti-LRA messages to fighters urging them to defect .

Invisible Children has been criticized for everything from how the group made `` Kony 2012 '' to how it spends its money .

Is the film accurate ?

Critics say `` KONY 2012 '' manipulates the facts and ignores the Ugandan military 's own rights abuses in its war with the LRA . A 2011 Foreign Affairs story accused Invisible Children of `` exaggerating the scale of LRA abductions and murders and emphasizing the LRA 's use of innocent children as soldiers . ''

And in a Foreign Policy blog post , journalist Michael Wilkerson wrote : `` But let 's get two things straight : 1 -RRB- Joseph Kony is not in Uganda and has n't been for 6 years ; 2 -RRB- the LRA now numbers at most in the hundreds . ''

CNN 's Christiane Amanpour says the constant pursuit of Kony , long the International Criminal Court 's most wanted man , means he is now largely a `` spent force '' in Uganda .

`` His crimes against these children were committed largely in the late 1990s and early 2000s , and because people have been going after him he 's actually considered to be much more of a threat now in the Democratic Republic of Congo , '' she said .

The filmmakers have also drawn heavy fire for a 2008 photo showing the founders holding AK-47s and RPGs while posing with members of the Sudan People 's Liberation Army , which has itself been accused of widespread human rights abuses during its decades-long conflict with the government of Sudan .

Is Invisible Children wasting donors ' money ?

While critics say that far too little of Invisible Children 's money actually makes it to the Ugandans who need it the most , the group claims its mission is misunderstood .

Only 32 % of the money Invisible Children spent last year went to direct services , according to the group 's financial statement , with much of the rest going toward the production of film , travel costs and staff salaries .

Co-founder and film narrator Jason Russell told CNN 's Piers Morgan that the group is not a traditional on-the-ground development charity .

`` We are not an organization that does amazing work on the ground -- if you want to fund a cow or help someone in a village ... that 's only a third of what we do , '' said Russell .

`` We work outside the traditional box of what you think about charity , '' he told CNN . `` We have three Ms : the movie , which is going viral ... the movement , which is actual volunteers around the world ... and the mission -- to stop Kony and rehab the war-affected children through education , reintegration and building jobs for the community . ''

Independent charity evaluator Charity Navigator gave Invisible Children an overall rating of three out of four stars , but just two stars for `` accountability and transparency '' -- a fact the group attributes to not having five independent voting members on its board of directors .

In a statement , the group wrote : `` We are in the process of interviewing potential board members , and we will add an additional independent member this year in order to regain our 4-star rating by 2013 . ''

Is the film doing more harm than good ?

Critics say `` KONY 2012 '' will draw resources away from more effective charity organizations while reinforcing the idea that Africans are helpless and that Westerners must intervene to save them .

`` Campaigns that focus on bracelets and social media absorb resources that could go toward more effective advocacy , '' write Amanda Taub and Kate Cronin-Furman in current affairs magazine , The Atlantic .

`` Treating awareness as a goal in and of itself risks compassion fatigue -- most people only have so much time and energy to devote to far-away causes -- and ultimately squanders political momentum that could be used to push for effective solutions . ''

While some Ugandans appreciate the attention being put on Kony , CNN 's David McKenzie says the group has n't posed a real threat to Uganda for several years . `` Nice message ... 15 years too late , '' one Ugandan military official told McKenzie .

Despite the negative attention heaped on Invisible Children , CNN 's Amanpour says that any raised awareness of Kony and his crimes is a net positive .

`` What 's really important is that -LSB- the film -RSB- will not just sensitize people about war criminals like Kony , but try to get society onboard to pressure their government to do something about these atrocities . ''

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`` KONY 2012 '' racks up more than 70 million YouTube views

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Film documents Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony 's atrocities and plight of Ugandan children

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Critics say film manipulates facts and distracts from more effective charity work in Uganda

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Supporters say any publicity of the Lord 's Resistance Army is welcome